a. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a powered gait orthosis, and more particularly to a device to aid in research and rehabilitation of non-ambulatory patients and provide therapeutic exercise for those with spinal cord injuries, neurological impairments and those recovering from orthopedic procedures. The invention also enables the measurement of outcomes and records patient session data for progress analysis. The device causes the legs of a patient to move in a desired gait.
b. Description of Related Art
Prior art devices for similar purposes are often not of sanitary construction and may require special electrical power sources and excessive site preparation. Additionally, such devices may be difficult to ship and setup. The prior art devices often require the presence of more than one trained operator, thereby increasing the cost of such therapy. Additionally, therapists often perform portions of the therapy manually, which does not result in uniform reproducible therapy to the patient. Prior art devices do not always provide easy patient access, and the devices may not successfully simulate a natural walking motion in the patient's legs.
A powered gait orthosis, which overcomes the drawbacks and disadvantages of the prior art devices, was disclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/938,825, filed Aug. 27, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
For the invention disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/938,825, the lifting means employed a large rigid framework having rails along which a trolley is moved and selectively locked in operative position. This arrangement was excessively cumbersome and complex in construction.